The MMA News Report 05.21.08
Posted by Morgan Marx on 05.21.2008
News on Brock Lesnar, Roger Huerta, the Elite XC announce team, and an important middleweight battle within the UFC. Plus, five themes for UFC 84.
INTRODUCTION
It's a pre-fight edition of the Wednesday news report, so we've got the typical event hype mixed with the week's news. Read on for my thoughts on five important themes for this week. I'll make my usual terrible picks in the 411Mania roundtable. I'm still deliberating about whether Sokoudjou is for real, and whether Sherk can really do the unexpected. I hope your picks turn out better than mine usually fare (especially if you've got money/your mortgage riding on the outcome).
MAILBAG/RANT TIME
The Reader's Question: Which UFC newcomer will makes the biggest impression at UFC 84? Which has the most upside?
NEWS LEG KICKS
UFC 87 Announced
Brock Lesnar and Roger Huerta will be fighting in front of a hometown Minnesota crowd at UFC 87: Seek and Destroy. Their inclusion, plus that of their respective opponents, Mark Coleman and Kenny Florian, was confirmed via the official UFC website. The event will take place August 9 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
The official press release actually spends much more time on the Huerta v. Florian fight than on Lesnar's second UFC appearance. Florian and Huerta will do battle to determine the next likely candidate to take on the reigning lightweight champion, whomever that may be following this Saturday's clash between Sean Sherk and title holder BJ Penn. We recently witnessed a supremely entertaining 155 but between Eddie Alvarez and Joachim Hansen. Even though we're roughly three months away from the event, Florian v. Huerta is being considered a likely match of the year candidate.
Perhaps the most interesting bit of info on UFC.com is this:
Plus, a main event yet to be announced! UFC 87: SEEK AND DESTROY - Saturday, August 9, live on Pay-Per-View from Minneapolis, MN.
The additional of a headliner will definitely push this event into the upper tier of UFC PPVs. Perhaps Anderson Silva will defend his middleweight title against Yushin Okami. Whatever the fight may be, it looks like the UFC will continue to present a strong string of cards throughout the remainder of 2008.
Gus Johnson, Frank Shamrock, and Mauro Ranallo have been announced as the broadcast team for Elite XC's first CBS broadcast show, according to MMAJunkie.com. Johnson, a NCAA March Madness and New York Knicks broadcasting veteran, will make his MMA debut calling the play-by-play of the event.
Rumors of Johnson's participation in the event have persisted for a while. The Bill Simmons' favorite is known for his histrionic calls of sporting events. Though grating to some, Johnson receives high marks for his enthusiasm for sporting events and for the drama he adds to close games and tight endings.
With the right preparation, I could see Johnson adding something positive to the card. MMA events can benefit from passionate play-by-play, particularly for sudden, dramatic events like knockouts of submission escapes. If there was a major criticism of the recent DREAM 3 card it was that the announcing duo of Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten didn't quite capture the atmosphere and excitement of the event. With Johnson, fans won't have to fear a similar outcome.
It will be interesting to see how Johnson and Ranallo coexist. Love him or hate him, Ranallo is a true expert in the field of MMA coverage. Perhaps his blend of metaphor and analogy will lend itself favorably to the role of color commentating. If not, Johnson and Ranallo may end up in an over-the-top analysis battle to the death, with Frank Shamrock caught in the middle. Hopefully, Shamrock plays within the rules and refrains from making any comments about a fighter's sexuality. One can only hope…
Did you stay tuned? MMAMania.com is reporting that ADCC champion Demian Maia will take on Jason MacDonald at the UFC's August event in Minnesota. Both fighters will look to improve their stock in the UFC's middleweight division.
Maia and MacDonald are each coming off of wins recorded at UFC 83. Maia choked out previous MacDonald-victim Ed Herman, while The Athlete scored a second victory over Joe Doerksen. With Anderson Silva (say it with me now…) lacking in credible challengers, the winner of this fight will take a step toward the number one contenders slot.
Maia, undefeated at 7-0, has recorded two straight submission victories in the UFC. Most impressively, Maia seems equally at home smashing opponents via ground and pound before sinking in the choke. MacDonald, 20-9, will have to demonstrate superior submission defense to survive Maia's onslaught. MacDonald has only been submitted twice in his career (including a loss via rear naked choke to noted ground wizard Patrick Cote), but has yet to face a fighter with Maia's BJJ resume.
Something tells me this is not the main event reported to be added to the card. Keep staying tune to 411mania.com for event additions as they are made public.
UFC 84 presents a mixed bag. Heated rivals are battling for title gold. Fighters at divergent points in their careers are making a push for relevance. Newcomers are pushing veterans for precious roster spots. From top to bottom, the night offers a variety of interesting match-ups and intriguing fighters. Here are a few themes for the event that hopefully go beyond the obvious.
1) What will win the night: personality or straightforwardness? I can't remember an event in which the three top fights featured such diametrically opposed fighters. While all six of the featured competitors are highly talented, the difference in personas is astounding. On one hand you've got fighters like BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz and Wanderlei Silva. Both Penn and Ortiz know how to sell fights, infusing each contest with hype and smack talk. Ortiz may not go down in history as the UFC's most talented fighter, yet he remains the biggest personality created by the organization (I'm sure Ortiz would claim he made the organization…). Penn combines top rated talent with a natural arrogance that annoys fellow fighters and intrigues fans. Silva, though not as loquacious as the other two, puts on one of the most exciting in-ring/cage shows known to MMA. All three demand attention, and their presence on a fight card makes the event must see TV.
On the other hand you have Sean Sherk, Lyoto Machida, and Keith Jardine. Solid fighters, skilled fighters, yet not the most personable. At best you have labels like "unconventional" and "well rounded." At worst, "boring" and "sleep inducing." None of the challengers stand out on the Mic or in interviews. Yet all three could emerge victorious Saturday night, significantly altering the face of both the lightweight and light heavyweight divisions.
As a former champion, Sherk is the most decorated (and publicized) of the bunch. His exploits over the past year have also made him the most interesting. Sherk has emerged as the villain of the 155 weight class. Sherk's positive steroid test (and his subsequent protests/appeals) alienated fans that supported him in spite of his style. The buildup to UFC 84 has placed an interesting spotlight on Sherk. Forced to respond to BJ Penn's accusations and verbal barbs, Sherk has developed a bit of personality. Sure, it's an arrogant, abrasive personality, but it's something that can be marketed.
Jardine and Machida do most of their talking in the cage, and dominant victories over true legends will immediately boost their Q rating. Machida comes with an interesting backstory and an eclectic mix of skills. Jardine looks like a beast. With inspired performances, both can emerge as future title challengers.
You can't say that the UFC "wants" the most entertaining fighters to win. Machida has been booked as the next big thing at 205. We can be sure that Dana White will be firmly in the Brazilian's corner Saturday night. Both Sherk and Jardine are also favored by the UFC. So it's not a battle of fan favorites versus also-rans. But it will be interesting to see how the UFC chooses to present the likes of Sherk, Machida, and Jardine if they all come up big. Somehow, they have to connect with the audience beyond cliched sound bytes and menacing poses.
2) So much for "first fight' jitters A variety of newcomers will all be making their debut, and most will be expected to win. Shane Carwin, Dong Hyun Kim, Rousimar Palhares could all make victorious first appearances on he under card. Personally, I expect Goran Reljic to take out Wilson Gouveia on the main card. The only debuting fighter entering as a big underdog is Antonio Mendes, and even he could make waves with a flash KO of Thiago Silva. While the UFC's decision to cut talent has drawn attention lately, here are five new additions carrying high expectations.
In each under card fight, the veteran fighter might lose hi place in the organization with a loss. Ivan Salaverry has never been loved by casual fight fans, and is approaching the end of his fight career. Jason Tan is another semi-anonymous European fighter that should get smashed by Kim. Christian Wellisch is a serviceable heavyweight, but his purpose on the card is to make Carwin look like the next Brock Lesnar (only more successful I suppose). If any of these returning vets wants another shot in the UFC, they have to put on a good show. That means no brutal lay and pray Salaverry!
I'm sure the culture shock affecting UFC newcomers is a huge adjustment. But for this group of debutantes, I feel confident predicting wins (except for you, Samuray). Cain Velasquez made a dominant first impression at UFC 83; I expect similar results from the class of 84.
3) Who has the most to prove? A recurring theme in UFC events is the fighter with the most to prove, both to the organization and to fans. Pre-event talk has focused on Wanderlei Silva, a fighter in need of a win to remind fans all that he is capable of. Coming off three successive defeats, one has to wonder whether wear and tear has caught up with the Axe Murderer. Questions regarding Silva's size and adaptation to the cage also need answers.
However, I don't believe Silva will be cut should he lose again in the UFC. Similarly, I don't believe he has the most to prove. Silva's legendary status is already confirmed within the world of MMA. Silva's full throttle style also makes his place within the organization relatively secure. Dana White seems to have a healthy man crush on Silva, and a move to 185 should give Wand at least one more chance within the octagon.
For my money, I believe Sokoudjou to be the fighter with the most to prove Saturday night. Thrown to the wolves in three consecutive fights, Sokoudjou's inexperience finally showed when Machida dismantled him on the ground. Sokoudjou can't afford another lackluster performance against Kazuhiro Nakamura. Nakamura is durable and carries a warrior's spirit, but he's a C level fighter. If Sokoudjou is for real, he must defeat the Japanese judoka.
The questions surrounding Sokoudjou's impressive victories over Arona and Nogueira have always focused on the unpredictability of flash knockouts. Like Houston Alexander, you can't learn much about a fighter in under a round. Though the African Assassin comes from a great camp and carries a judo background, we haven't seen much of him in the ring besides his powerful striking. And there are a lot of powerful strikers that don't pan out as MMA prospects.
Most fans and pundits will expect Sokoudjou to win Saturday night. The UFC probably expects the same. If Sokoudjou slips up, he will be 4-3, and he won't have made an impression on UFC fans. Will he be on the cutting block come this Summer? I'm not sure. But I'm not sure he can afford to find out.
4) Fighters sticking to what they do best Whether it's Dan Henderson against Anderson Silva or Matt Hughes against several opponents, it frustrates me when a fighter abandons his strength in favor of another fight dimension. Both Henderson and Hughes are too of the most dominant wrestlers to participate in MMA. And both Henderson and Hughes occasionally get enamoured with their striking, sometimes at their won-loss record's expense.
At UFC 84, we won't see that sort of behavior from Sean Sherk and Tito Ortiz. Both fighters understand their strengths and stick to the gameplan. Sherk will attempt to smother BJ Penn with relentless takedowns, while Ortiz will look to brutalize Machida with elbows from the guard. Neither fighter is particularly flashy, but then again, neither has to be to win.
Joe Stevenson never got the chance to take BJ Penn down in their encounter. That could be due to Penn's brilliance from the bottom, or Penn's flexibility. Perhaps Stevenson thought his best chance was in the standup game. It could have been that Stevenson's inexperience in big fights got the best of him, and he abandoned his greatest strength. Those factors won't change Sherk's game. Sherk may not win on Saturday, but he won't lose by fighting out of character.
Similarly, Ortiz has not changed things up unless his #1 approach has failed miserably (namely against Chuck Liddell). Unless Machida can prove that his takedown defense is in Penn's class, this fight will go to the ground. Whether Machida has the BJJ acumen to submit Ortiz is the big question. Even though Ortiz is under a tremendous amount of pressure to leave the UFC as a highly marketable fighter (upping his price with whatever promotion he ends up in) I think he wants to win this fight. I don't think we'll see a Frank Shamrock "I'm more interested in entertaining than winning" kind of fight from Ortiz.
You might not like Sherk's style. Personally, I'd rather see Sherk go for takedown after takedown than try to outbox Penn. Sometimes, a fighter can get away with a radical shift in his gameplan. Jamie Varner shocked everyone by out striking Rob McCullough. For Sherk and Ortiz, their best option is their bread and butter. It's not exotic, but it's satisfying.
5) Speaking of gameplans… When will fighters learn. It's 2008, the world is wired to the web, and even the most obscure fighter has some video floating around the old Intertubes. When I hear a fighter like Wilson Gouveia say something like "I don't know too much about him, I haven't seen any of his film," I start banging my head on the wall. A quick Google search offers up a Reljic v. Mihajlovic fight video and a YouTube clip of Reljic competing in the Bristol Open. How hard is it for Gouveia to do a little research?
The idea of a fighter on the cusp of the UFC's top ten rankings in his division entering a fight blind is beyond me. Reljic is a highly decorated BJJ fighter. Scouting the Croat to learn about favored positions and likely escapes seems like a good decision. The game has progressed too much for a fighter to trust his natural skills to overcome talented opposition. Reljic knows some of Gouveia's strengths and weaknesses (and isn't afraid to share them). At this point, Gouveia is entering at a disadvantage.
At the other extreme you have the Greg Jackson trained Keith Jardine. Though sheer preservation and preparation, Jardine has accomplished much more in the UFC than at first expected of him. Jardine picked apart Chuck Liddell by intuitively understanding Liddell's weak points. Jardine may notch another scalp by doing the same to Wanderlei Silva this weekend. When Jardine entered a fight overconfident and without preparing with due diligence, he got rocked by an unheralded newcomer. Gouveia may end up in the same boat.
Fighters like Randy Couture and camps like Jackson's have shown the value of scouting and tape work. How many good fighters would become great fighters with the same sort of preparation?
CONCLUSION
Enjoy he show. Next week we'll wrap things up from UFC 84 and look ahead to the WEC June 1 card. Take care everyone.
